Foldable toy vehicles

Abstract

A toy vehicle reconfigurable between unfolded and folded configurations includes a generally body pivotally supporting a pair of generally planar driving systems on either lateral side. Each driving system includes a motor and gear train driving a continuous track passed over multiple pulley wheels. One pulley wheel of each driving system is carried on an arm mounted to a frame of the system so as to pivot between retracted and extended positions and spring loaded to the extended position. The tracks are sufficiently elastic to accommodate the movement of the one wheel from the extended position to a retracted position. The arms are pushed into the retracted position when the vehicle is pushed into a combined remote control unit and storage case.

We claim: 
     
       1. A foldable toy vehicle ( 20 ) comprising:
 a body having opposing front and rear ends and opposing left and right lateral sides extending between the ends and opposing lower and upper sides extending between the front and rear ends and left and right lateral sides 
 left and right, generally planar frames elongated front to rear; 
 left and right suspension members extended from the left and right lateral sides of the body respectively connecting the left and right frames with the body so as to pivot each respective frame about an axis extended front to rear between the frame and the body along the respective right and left lateral sides of the body; 
 a linkage further connecting the body with each of the left and right frames so as to simultaneously pivot each of the left and right frames with respect to the body on the respective left and right suspension members with respect to the body between a folded configuration with the left and right frame members generally coplanar and parallel with a generally horizontal plane of the body and an unfolded configuration with the left and right frames generally parallel with one another and perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the body; 
 front and rear track turning members fixedly located on each frame respectively proximal the front and rear of each frame; 
 an endless track on each frame surrounding an entire periphery of the frame and extended over and against at least the front and rear track turning members of the frame for rotation of the track about the frame on the track turning members; 
 at least a third track turning member on each frame supported on a distal end of an arm having a proximal end mounted on the frame for pivotal movement in the plane of the frame about a point located longitudinally between the first and second turning members between a retracted configuration with the distal end located closest to the frame proximal the rear end of the frame and an extended configuration with the distal end located most distant to the frame, the endless track being sized and sufficiently elastic to accommodate the pivotal movement of the arm and third turning member between the retracted and extended configurations without loss of continuous contact with the front, rear and third turning members on the frame; and 
 a bias member on each frame connected between the frame and the arm of the frame so as to bias the arm from the retracted configuration to the extended configuration. 
 
     
     
       2. The toy vehicle of  claim 1  further comprising on each frame:
 a motor, a worm, and a gear train operably connected together and with at least one track turning member on the frame such that operation of the motor rotates the worm to drive the gear train to rotate the at least one track turning member to drive the flexible track and propel the toy vehicle. 
 
     
     
       3. The toy vehicle according to  claim 2  wherein the at least one track turning member of each frame is a toothed pulley wheel fixed to and coaxial with a final gear of the gear train to rotate with the final gear of the gear train and wherein the endless track on each frame includes inward facing lugs meshing with teeth of the toothed pulley wheel. 
     
     
       4. The toy vehicle according to  claim 1  wherein the body includes a lower part essentially forming the lower side of the body and an upper part forming at least a major portion of the upper side of the body and pivotally connected to the lower part; and further comprising at least one linear compression bias member mounted between the upper and lower parts of the body so as to pivot the upper part of the body away from the lower part of the body. 
     
     
       5. The toy vehicle according to  claim 1  wherein the linear compression bias member is a compression coil spring. 
     
     
       6. The toy vehicle according to  claim 4  wherein the linkage is configured to be actuated to pivot the frames by the pivotal movement of the upper part away from the lower part. 
     
     
       7. The toy vehicle according to  claim 4  further comprising a latch slidably supported by one of the upper part and the lower part of the body, a latch holder positioned on a remaining one of the upper part and the lower part of the body to be engaged by the latch and an actuator exposed on the body for manual movement and operably connected with the latch so as to slide the latch from engagement with the latch holder upon manual movement of the actuator, and a linear compression member located between the upper part and the lower part so as to pivot the upper part away from the lower part with release of the latch from the latch holder. 
     
     
       8. The toy vehicle according to  claim 7  wherein the folded configuration of the toy vehicle is achieved by moving the upper part of the body toward the lower part of the body against the bias of the linear compression bias member until the latch holder engages the sliding latch. 
     
     
       9. The toy vehicle according to  claim 1  wherein in the retracted configuration, the third turning member is located proximal the rear of the frame; and further comprising a fourth track turning member fixedly located on each frame proximal the front of each frame in continuous engagement with the endless track. 
     
     
       10. The toy vehicle according to  claim 1  wherein the linkage includes a pair of bell cranks each pivotally coupled at a lower end with the lower part of the body, at an upper end with the upper part of the body, and at an outer end with a proximal end of a separate one of a pair of side links, the side links each having the one end pivotally coupled with a separate one of the turn cranks, respectively, and an opposing end pivotally coupled with a separate one of the right and left frames, respectively, and a horizontal bar fixed with the lower part of the body and pivotally coupled with each frame along the pivot axis of the respective frame. 
     
     
       11. The toy vehicle according to  claim 1  wherein in the folded configuration, the toy vehicle is sized and shaped to fit within a hollow interior of a shell, the hollow interior having a rectangular open end receiving the folded toy vehicle, and wherein the shell is also a remote control unit to operate the toy vehicle in the unfolded configuration.